Federal, state, and local government construction hasn’t exactly been a steamroller for the past few years, due to the end of stimulus availability and the ongoing effects of budget sequestration.
At press time, the most recent Commerce Department report indicated that government construction spending was up just under 1% in April, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $267 billion, despite overall economic contraction of about 1% in the first quarter. Federal construction spending was the growth leader, rising by 1.9% to a rate of $23.5 billion. State and local projects—a much larger piece of the public pie—were up just 0.7%, to $243.5 billion.
Among non-infrastructure public construction spending categories, healthcare (up 6%) and education (up 2%) appear most promising for this year, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors’ 2014 forecast.
Improving energy performance of existing properties through targeted upgrades—and, sometimes, large-scale reconstruction—continues to be a federal priority. Of 20 projects recently honored by the General Services Administration’s Design Awards program, half were reconstruction jobs, ranging from Beaux Arts courthouses to Modernist offices.
Along with the push for energy efficiency, federal agencies are increasingly exploring telework as an alternative to expanding office space. The bright side? Telecom and AV renovations will be required to help agencies keep off-site staff connected.
Many state and local governments continue to struggle with the sluggish overall economy, causing delays in needed construction. Among the discernible themes among state and local projects submitted to BD+C: new police facilities (designed to reflect changing ideas about community policing), replacement and upgraded courthouses, and mass-transit stations.
Top Government Sector Architecture Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Government Revenue |
1 | Stantec | $144,299,056 |
2 | Heery International | 125,058,364 |
3 | HOK | 114,753,666 |
4 | SmithGroupJJR | 83,064,158 |
5 | HDR | 81,601,164 |
6 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 57,835,664 |
7 | SHW Group | 56,007,000 |
8 | Gensler | 52,272,600 |
9 | EYP Architecture & Engineering | 42,800,000 |
10 | RS&H | 39,200,000 |
11 | Page | 38,704,000 |
12 | Moseley Architects | 35,135,469 |
13 | Leo A Daly | 29,483,542 |
14 | Perkins+will | 28,975,375 |
15 | Clark Nexsen | 28,873,388 |
16 | ZGF Architects | 27,425,548 |
17 | CannonDesign | 27,000,000 |
18 | FreemanWhite | 25,941,154 |
19 | NBBJ | 19,382,000 |
20 | DLR Group | 19,300,000 |
21 | Hammel, Green and Abrahamson | 19,167,839 |
22 | EwingCole | 17,300,000 |
23 | HKS | 17,247,862 |
24 | PGAL | 16,097,917 |
25 | HNTB Corp. | 15,269,498 |
26 | Westlake Reed Leskosky | 15,049,000 |
27 | Quattrocchi Kwok Architects | 13,230,000 |
28 | Hoefer Wysocki Architecture | 12,860,000 |
29 | Fentress Architects | 12,160,971 |
30 | BLDD Architects | 11,800,000 |
31 | RTKL Associates | 11,469,000 |
32 | SchenkelShultz Architecture | 11,278,000 |
33 | NORR | 9,792,248 |
34 | LS3P | 8,882,375 |
35 | Morris Architects | 8,350,000 |
36 | Davis Brody Bond | 8,263,108 |
37 | LaBella Associates | 8,130,000 |
38 | CTA Architects Engineers | 8,014,884 |
39 | Beyer Blinder Belle | 7,947,688 |
40 | HMC Architects | 6,811,005 |
41 | VOA Associates | 6,808,200 |
42 | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper | 6,687,000 |
43 | Rosser International | 6,652,324 |
44 | LMN Architects | 6,388,100 |
45 | Sherlock, Smith & Adams | 6,388,000 |
46 | Becker Morgan Group | 6,343,277 |
47 | Flad Architects | 6,126,870 |
48 | KZF Design | 5,887,462 |
49 | Epstein | 5,402,000 |
50 | IBI Group ? Gruzen Samton | 5,000,000 |
51 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 4,500,000 |
52 | Goodwyn Mills & Cawood | 4,409,249 |
53 | Wight & Company | 4,402,093 |
54 | RSP Architects | 4,326,000 |
55 | Harley Ellis Devereaux | 4,310,000 |
56 | Carrier Johnson + Culture | 4,066,891 |
57 | BRPH | 3,957,000 |
58 | FGM Architects | 3,776,698 |
59 | Ennead Architects | 3,729,000 |
60 | RNL | 3,418,000 |
61 | WDG Architecture | 3,095,000 |
62 | Perkins Eastman | 3,000,000 |
63 | GWWO | 2,965,804 |
64 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 2,787,930 |
65 | Integrus Architecture | 2,705,119 |
66 | Hoffmann Architects | 2,654,000 |
67 | Swanke Hayden Connell Architects | 2,534,000 |
68 | Ratio Architects | 2,462,355 |
69 | LPA | 2,205,538 |
70 | Emersion Design | 2,183,039 |
71 | Array Architects | 2,138,000 |
72 | WHR Architects | 2,076,445 |
73 | Cooper Carry | 1,987,669 |
74 | Little | 1,961,000 |
75 | Bergmann Associates | 1,941,360 |
76 | OZ Architecture | 1,724,680 |
77 | Legat Architects | 1,675,500 |
78 | LBL Architects | 1,600,000 |
79 | Schrader Group Architecture | 1,573,559 |
80 | Symmes Maini & McKee Associates | 1,563,000 |
81 | Good Fulton & Farrell | 1,373,500 |
82 | H+L Architecture | 1,295,496 |
83 | Harvard Jolly Architecture | 1,221,576 |
84 | Cambridge Seven Associates | 1,210,000 |
85 | FXFOWLE Architects | 1,180,000 |
86 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 1,128,560 |
87 | Moody Nolan | 1,083,924 |
88 | CO Architects | 1,031,600 |
89 | Shepley Bulfinch | 836,000 |
90 | Corgan | 762,894 |
91 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 742,891 |
92 | Lord Aeck Sargent | 742,273 |
93 | GBBN Architects | 660,000 |
94 | Nadel | 650,000 |
95 | Eppstein Uhen Architects | 640,751 |
96 | Commonwealth Architects | 599,591 |
97 | Hastings+Chivetta Architects | 491,188 |
98 | DesignGroup | 433,190 |
99 | Baskervill | 391,276 |
100 | Payette | 383,755 |
101 | Taylor Design | 372,052 |
102 | LawKingdon Architecture | 350,000 |
103 | Anderson Mikos Architects | 350,000 |
104 | NAC|Architecture | 345,476 |
105 | Environetics | 341,475 |
106 | Kirksey | 323,571 |
107 | H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture | 305,903 |
108 | Hnedak Bobo Group | 301,000 |
109 | TEG Architects | 235,686 |
110 | RBB Architects | 215,897 |
111 | BBS Architects | 200,030 |
112 | DLA Architects | 133,140 |
113 | Fanning/Howey Associates | 50,000 |
114 | BSA LifeStructures | 41,019 |
115 | ai Design Group | 33,048 |
Top Government Sector Engineering Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Government Revenue |
1 | Fluor Corporation | $2,675,202,710 |
2 | URS Corp. | 648,982,536 |
3 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 574,020,000 |
4 | Jacobs | 287,190,693 |
5 | STV | 168,948,000 |
6 | Burns & McDonnell | 99,462,332 |
7 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 57,994,366 |
8 | Leidos | 55,125,000 |
9 | H&A Architects & Engineers | 38,735,000 |
10 | Allen & Shariff | 33,964,317 |
11 | Dewberry | 26,388,476 |
12 | Arup | 23,554,256 |
13 | Smith Seckman Reid | 19,741,666 |
14 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 19,066,000 |
15 | Affiliated Engineers | 15,598,000 |
16 | Syska Hennessy Group | 12,155,407 |
17 | Thornton Tomasetti | 10,996,123 |
18 | Coffman Engineers | 10,676,374 |
19 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 10,500,000 |
20 | RMF Engineering | 10,000,000 |
21 | Guernsey | 9,680,758 |
22 | Shive-Hattery | 9,029,738 |
23 | Walker Parking Consultants | 8,925,000 |
24 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers | 8,780,161 |
25 | WSP Group | 8,060,000 |
26 | Interface Engineering | 6,809,917 |
27 | Glumac | 6,650,738 |
28 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 6,500,000 |
29 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 5,870,000 |
30 | TTG | 5,811,850 |
31 | Graef | 5,387,348 |
32 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 5,191,493 |
33 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 5,134,526 |
34 | Heapy Engineering | 5,072,001 |
35 | Ross & Baruzzini | 4,975,183 |
36 | I. C. Thomasson Associates | 4,750,000 |
37 | KCI Technologies | 4,600,000 |
38 | Vanderweil Engineers | 4,565,800 |
39 | Degenkolb Engineers | 4,462,450 |
40 | GRW | 3,753,047 |
41 | Sparling | 3,690,424 |
42 | H.F. Lenz | 3,559,848 |
43 | Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon | 3,495,000 |
44 | SSOE Group | 3,332,408 |
45 | Newcomb & Boyd | 3,140,130 |
46 | M/E Engineering | 3,096,775 |
47 | Henderson Engineers | 2,989,363 |
48 | RDK Engineers | 2,880,000 |
49 | Apogee Consulting Group | 2,732,049 |
50 | Spectrum Engineers | 2,497,641 |
51 | Brinjac Engineering | 2,083,384 |
52 | M-E Engineers | 2,000,000 |
53 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 1,610,242 |
54 | Walter P Moore and Associates | 1,441,663 |
55 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | 1,350,000 |
56 | CTLGroup | 1,330,000 |
57 | GHT Limited | 1,300,000 |
58 | French & Parrello Associates | 1,213,200 |
59 | Dunham Associates | 1,200,000 |
60 | AKF Group | 1,186,000 |
61 | Highland Associates | 1,150,000 |
62 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 1,015,000 |
63 | Environmental Systems Design | 920,969 |
64 | BR+A Consulting Engineers | 920,000 |
65 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp. | 918,914 |
66 | CJL Engineering | 870,000 |
67 | Mazzetti | 831,363 |
68 | Primera Engineers | 775,000 |
69 | ThermalTech Engineering | 750,000 |
70 | KLH Engineers | 480,951 |
71 | OLA Consulting Engineers | 262,000 |
72 | Zak Companies | 208,120 |
73 | Wick Fisher White | 195,530 |
74 | Wallace Engineering | 150,000 |
75 | Total Building Commissioning | 122,935 |
76 | G&W Engineering Corp. | 109,200 |
77 | P2S Engineering | 99,369 |
78 | DeSimone Consulting Engineers | 90,000 |
79 | Stanley Consultants | 74,747 |
80 | Integrated Design Group | 55,650 |
Top Government Sector Construction Firms
Rank | Company | 2013 Government Revenue |
1 | Turner Construction | $2,343,544,729 |
2 | Clark Group | 2,342,085,755 |
3 | PCL Construction | 1,343,431,142 |
4 | Walsh Group, The | 1,188,110,497 |
5 | Hensel Phelps | 1,184,760,000 |
6 | Balfour Beatty US | 1,145,573,619 |
7 | Gilbane | 814,257,000 |
8 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 767,580,319 |
9 | McCarthy Holdings | 738,000,000 |
10 | Lend Lease | 551,622,000 |
11 | Skanska USA | 493,318,641 |
12 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 455,618,872 |
13 | Brasfield & Gorrie | 379,267,063 |
14 | JE Dunn Construction | 321,764,977 |
15 | Hunt Construction Group | 277,300,000 |
16 | Mortenson Construction | 178,340,000 |
17 | STV | 168,948,000 |
18 | Hunt Companies | 154,387,811 |
19 | Sundt Construction | 153,006,199 |
20 | HITT Contracting | 145,900,000 |
21 | O'Neil Industries/W.E. O'Neil | 142,005,318 |
22 | CORE Construction Group | 135,900,848 |
23 | Manhattan Construction | 126,300,000 |
24 | Heery International | 125,058,364 |
25 | W. M. Jordan Company | 117,481,667 |
26 | Yates Companies, The | 111,200,000 |
27 | Holder Construction | 110,063,000 |
28 | Flintco | 106,026,635 |
29 | Hoffman Construction | 84,474,600 |
30 | Messer Construction | 79,799,220 |
31 | B. L. Harbert International | 74,365,423 |
32 | Consigli Construction | 74,312,383 |
33 | James G. Davis Construction | 72,010,706 |
34 | Suffolk Construction | 67,717,700 |
35 | DPR Construction | 65,709,181 |
36 | Coakley & Williams Construction | 61,953,906 |
37 | C.W. Driver | 58,850,000 |
38 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 57,994,366 |
39 | Ryan Companies US | 57,693,535 |
40 | Fortis Construction | 52,585,000 |
41 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 49,000,000 |
42 | Leopardo Companies | 47,786,003 |
43 | Bernards | 46,000,000 |
44 | Swinerton Builders | 45,394,000 |
45 | Walbridge | 41,300,000 |
46 | Hill International | 41,000,000 |
47 | Power Construction | 39,000,000 |
48 | Kitchell Corp. | 38,162,513 |
49 | KBE Building Corp. | 37,661,458 |
50 | Beck Group, The | 36,300,176 |
51 | Allen & Shariff | 33,964,317 |
52 | Barton Malow | 33,108,673 |
53 | Wight & Company | 32,543,000 |
54 | Haselden Construction | 32,300,743 |
55 | Absher Construction | 31,202,850 |
56 | Structure Tone | 29,981,000 |
57 | Hoar Construction | 29,474,000 |
58 | Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction | 29,000,000 |
59 | New South Construction | 28,999,000 |
60 | Haskell | 28,573,183 |
61 | S. M. Wilson & Co. | 28,521,558 |
62 | Robins & Morton | 28,415,079 |
63 | Harkins Builders | 28,400,000 |
64 | EMJ Corp. | 21,000,000 |
65 | LeChase Construction Services | 19,680,000 |
66 | Bomel Construction | 19,327,000 |
67 | Layton Construction | 17,900,000 |
68 | Adolfson & Peterson Construction | 17,884,760 |
69 | McShane Companies, The | 17,672,043 |
70 | BlueScope Construction | 14,554,879 |
71 | Juneau Construction | 11,405,546 |
72 | Hill & Wilkinson | 10,864,000 |
73 | E.W. Howell | 9,541,000 |
74 | James McHugh Construction | 8,334,048 |
75 | Choate Construction | 7,670,062 |
76 | Weitz Company, The | 6,600,000 |
77 | JLL | 6,000,000 |
78 | Stalco Construction | 5,620,500 |
79 | LPCiminelli | 4,790,613 |
80 | Kraus-Anderson Construction | 3,000,000 |
81 | Bette Companies, The | 2,697,000 |
82 | Astorino | 2,384,468 |
83 | Batson-Cook | 1,390,120 |
84 | Graycor | 1,152,668 |
85 | Alberici Constructors | 1,080,320 |
86 | Paric Corp. | 1,000,000 |
87 | IMC Construction | 75,000 |
Read BD+C's full 2014 Giants 300 Report
Related Stories
Architects | Jan 4, 2017
The making of visible experts: A path for seller-doers in the AEC industry
Exceptional seller-doers have the ability to ask the right questions, and more importantly, listen.
Building Team | Jan 3, 2017
How does your firm’s hit rate stack up to the AEC competition?
If your firm is not converting at least a third of project proposals when competing for new work, it may be time to reassess your marketing tactics and processes.
Architects | Dec 9, 2016
Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects receives the 2017 AIA Architecture Firm Award
LMSA is the 54th AIA Architecture Firm Award recipient.
| Dec 8, 2016
Paul Revere Williams, FAIA, awarded 2017 AIA Gold Medal
The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
Building Team | Dec 8, 2016
The NYC Public Design Commission recognizes 12 projects with its 2016 Excellence in Design Award
2016 marked the 34th year the Public Design Commission has handed out its Excellence in Design Awards.
Education Facilities | Dec 7, 2016
How corporate design keeps educational design relevant
Learning is a lot like working; it varies daily, ranges from individual to collaborative, formal to informal and from hands on to digital.
| Dec 6, 2016
Workplace pilots: Test. Learn. Build
Differentiated from mock-ups or beta sites, workplace pilots are small scale built work environments, where an organization’s employees permanently reside and work on a daily basis.
Building Team | Dec 2, 2016
Alexandria Real Estate Equities becomes first real estate investment trust to be named a First-in-Class Fitwel Champion
Fitwel building certification was developed to foster positive impacts on building occupant health and productivity through improvements to workplace design and policies.
Government Buildings | Dec 1, 2016
Unlocking innovation in the government workplace
Government work settings ranked the lowest in their effectiveness across the four work modes: focus (individual) work, collaboration, socializing (informal gathering that fosters trust and teamwork) and learning.
Architects | Nov 20, 2016
D.C.’s first distillery-eatery taps into a growing trend
The stylish location targets customers craving craft spirits and late-night dining.